Process of decomposing ionone.



' process for splitting up ionone into the two scribed of the two varieties of the ionone alphaand beta-ionone-from each other will NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOIIANN CARL VVILHELM FERDINAND TIEMANN, OF BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO HAARMANN & REIMER, OF HOLZMINDEN, GERMANY.

PROCESS OF DEC OMPOSING IONONE SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,028, dated May 22, 1900.

Application filed February 6, 1899. Serial No. 704,722. (No specimens.)

To aZZ whom, it' may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHANN CARL WILHELM- FERDINAND TIEMANN, a subject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, residing at Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, have invented a certain new and useful varieties alphaand beta-ionone by means of alkali bisulfite or alkali sulfite, respectively, of which the following is a specification.

As I have shown in the Bcrichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft, No. 31, (1898,) page 851, ionone can be purified by several hours boiling with a solution of sodium bisulfate, which dissolves the ionone, the impurities present being removed by extraction with a suitable extracting agent, such as ether, and the ionone liberated from the aqueous solution thus purified by heating with alkaline hydrate.

I have found that in this process the solution of sodium bisulfite may be replaced by a solution of sodium sulfite, to which any suitable agent is added which at the boiling temperature of the solution employed neutralizes the sodium hydrate which becomes disengaged in the reaction. This purpose is, for instance, attained bymeans of an addition of a little more than one molecular weight of glacial acetic acid to one molecular weight of sodium sulfite (N a 80,) or by an addition of sulfate of ammonia, from which the alkaline hydrate liberated expels the ammonia at the boiling temperature of the solution. Moreover, I have found, first, that in evaporating the neutral or feebly-alkaline solution obtained in heating ionone with a solution of alkali bisulfite the alkali salts of the derivatives of the hydrosulfonic acid of the alphaionone formed in this mutual reaction will be the first to crystallize out, and, second, that by subjecting the neutral or only feebly-alkaline solution of ionone obtained by boiling ionone with alkali bisulfite, or with alkali sulfite and acetic acid, or with alkali sulfite and sulfate of ammonia to the distillation in a strong current of steam chiefly beta-ionone only is set free and passes over into the distillate. If an excess of alkali is added to the solution after it has ceased to yield an oily distillate, chiefly alpha-ionone only is eliminated therefrom by treatment with steam, which can be recovered by either extracting the rapidly-cooled liquid with a suitable solvent, such as ether, or by distillation in a current of steam after previous neutralization with an acid.

If properly carried out, the separation debe found to be nearly quantitative.

Beta-ionone is characterized by the wellknown seinicarbazone, the melting-point of which is at lat8 centigrade. Beta-ionone may be still further purified by converting it into the crystallized sem icarbazone melting at 148 centigrade and by splitting the same bynieans of sulfuric acid.

Alpha-ionone is characterized by the wellknown easily-erystalling oxim melting directly at a temperature of 87 centigrade, and only after repeated recrystallizations the melting-point is raised for 1 or 2. By converting the alpha-ionone into the crystallized oxim, and by the known decomposition of the latter by means of sulfuric acid a further purification is eifected.

Example: One hundred parts of ionone are boiled with a solution in three hundred parts water of one hundred parts of sodium bisulfite or the corresponding quantity of potas* sium bisulfite or the corresponding quantity of sodium sulfite, (Na S0,,) to which is added for each molecular weight of sodium sulfite a little more than one molecular Weight of glacial acetic acid or of sulfate of ammonia in excess until a clear solution of the oil is obtained. This is generally eifected in from eight to ten hours. The solution, which shows but a feebly-alkaline reaction, is freed from the impurities by agitation with a suitable extracting agent, such as ether. By then treating the solution by a strong current of steam beta-ionone is carried over. If re-- quired, this beta-ionone is still further puri fied by converting it into semicarbazone melting at 148 centigrade and by splitting the latter by means of sulfuric acid. As soon as oil-drops cease to pass over either sodium carbonate is added to the solution from which the beta-ionone has ,been removed, the alpha-ionone liberated thereby being directly tallized oxim; melting at 87 centigrade, and by decomposing the latter by means of an acid.

If the ionone under consideration contains a but ery; small quantities of the beta-ionone, a fact of but rare occurrence, the solution obtained by boiling ionone with alkali loisulfites may be evaporated. The alkali salts of the hydrosulfonic acid of the alpha-ionone obtained by crystallization from the cooled solution are then filtered oif and the separation of the alphaand beta-ionone is then elfected, as above described, in the mother liquid filtered off from the crystals.

. \Vhat' I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The process fordecomposingiononeinto I alpha and beta ionone, which consists in boiling the. ionone with an alkali sulfite in the presence of abinding agent for any liberated alkaline hydrate, and subjecting the resultin g solution to steam distillation,substantiall y as described. V 2. The process for decom posing ionone into alpha'and beta ionone, which consists in boiling the ionone with an alkali sulfite in the a presence of a binding agent for any liberated alkaline hydrate, subjecting the'resulting solution to stearn'distillation, and extracting lpha ionone fro nthe remaining solution,

substantially as described.

' 3. The process for decomposing ionone into alpha and beta ionone, which consists in boiling the ionone with an alkali sulfite in the presence of a binding agent for any liberated alkaline hydrate, subjecting the solution to steam distillation, and adding alkali to the remaining solution to liberate the alpha ionone, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHANN CARL WILHEhlll FERDINAND TIEMANN.

Witnesses:

O'rro IIERING, GUSTAV HiiLsMANN. 

